


This Strange Place of Ours

by BeneaththeHalo



Series: Courage Magic Strength [31]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dubious Consent, Implied Mpreg, Multi, Outdoor Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 19:34:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2240868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeneaththeHalo/pseuds/BeneaththeHalo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prince Arthur discovered a clearing, the most beautiful place he'd ever seen, many years ago. Finally he gets a chance to take Gwaine, the person who meant the most to him in the world, to see this place he so loves. There they discover a stranger, someone who Arthur feels he's known for a very long time even though they've never met.</p><p>And he needs something from them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Strange Place of Ours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [andrewonders](https://archiveofourown.org/users/andrewonders/gifts).



> I apologise for the delay in this, the giveaway fic in my 30 day ot3 challenge, but unfortunately I have had a hell of a lot of family drama happen over the weekend. But here it finally is! I cannot believe this month is over- I have had so much fun writing these fics, and I hope you've enjoyed reading them!
> 
> Day #31- Giveaway fic prompt: 'supernatural creature Merlin getting it on with Arthur and Gwaine for reproduction purposes'

If there was one thing Arthur Pendragon liked to do, it was defy his father. He'd lived under King Uther's thumb for so long, going against him felt like _freedom._ He knew exactly what the catalyst was that spurned him to go against his father, too- his sometimes verbal and physical sparring partner, and more than often best friend, Gwaine. Arthur had been the perfect son and prince, at least in his father's eyes, until Gwaine had come along. Now he was perfectly willing and unafraid to stand up to his father, whenever he thought that Uther was wrong. Which, he came to realise as he grew older, was actually quite often.

Today was one of those days Arthur desperately wanted to defy his father. There was this... place he had discovered years ago, when he was still young, that he had never told anybody else about. Until Gwaine had come along, that is.

"It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen," Arthur had said, lying shirtless in his bed, Gwaine's arms around him. "It's like... like it's remained untouched by man _and_ by nature, for at least as long as I've known about it. It's never changed, except to grow more lovely."

"You are so incredibly sappy, _princess_ ," Gwaine laughed, hands ghosting across Arthur's chest, tracing the contours of his muscles. They'd often lie like this, the two of them, Arthur's desire for physical closeness having found its match in Gwaine. If it was anybody else, the thought wouldn't have even come to Arthur. But because it was Gwaine, the knight had just _done it_ one day, not caring about Arthur’s reaction, knowing it was what the prince desperately needed. They had one of their verbal sparring matches that day, but Arthur had fallen asleep in Gwaine’s arms.

It had been the best night’s sleep he’d ever had.

“Shut up, Gwaine,” Arthur muttered, grabbing a pillow and hitting Gwaine in the head with it.

“You should take me to see this place,” Gwaine suggested. “The way you describe it, it’s like… well, I’ve never heard you talk about anything the way you talk about this place.”

“That’s because there _is_ nothing like this place,” Arthur admitted. “And just run away with you? Ignore my duties? Father would _kill_ you, and I’m not so sure I’m exaggerating about that. Plus this place is- I’m pretty sure it’s been touched by magic, Gwaine. If my father found out you’d let me go there, and not accidentally, he would _definitely_ kill you.”

“Then don’t _tell_ him,” Gwaine said exasperatedly. Despite all the times Arthur had defied his father since he’d met Gwaine, he was still loathe to do it. “Just tell him we’re going on a hunt or something, which technically we are. We’re just not hunting animals.”

“You’re speaking like I’ve already made up my mind,” Arthur said.

“Haven’t you?” Gwaine’s fingers travelled up Arthur’s arm, intertwining them with Arthur’s. “You wouldn’t have brought it up otherwise.”

Arthur sighed. Gwaine knew him well. _Far_ too well for Arthur’s liking. “Fine. We’ll leave tomorrow. But you are _not_ to tell anyone where we’re going, you understand? Not even any of the other knights.”

“What do you think I am, an idiot?” said Gwaine with a laugh, squeezing Arthur’s hand.

“Well…”

***

True to Arthur’s word, the two of them set out the next day, telling the king they were going on a hunt. Of course, still believing that his son was the 'perfect prince', Uther let them to without incident.

The clearing was just as magical as Arthur remembered. It had _changed,_ yes, but it had changed in a way that Arthur had expected. It still looked exactly the same, but it had grown even more beautiful, just as Arthur had described to Gwaine.

Gwaine was standing there, staring with his mouth hanging half-open, his eyes wide with wonder. "Wow..." he breathed.

"I reacted pretty much the same, when I first came here," Arthur told him. "I was young, twelve years old, and my father had taken me to visit one of the outlying villages that had been struck down by disease. I was so- so _horrified_ by what I saw, all the sick and the dead, nearly all of them with no chance of survival, so I ran. No one was paying any attention to me, so they didn't notice I was gone for a while.

"I was exploring the forest, and I was pretty sure I was lost, but at that point I didn't really care. I just needed to get _away._ I wasn't even paying any attention to where I was going... and then I found this place."

"I imagine it would've been even more breathtaking for a child," Gwaine said with a smile, trying to imagine a tiny Arthur stumbling across this place. "Even if this place was not as beautiful back then as it is now. And I find that hard to believe."

"As do I," Arthur admitted. "Sometimes I wonder I've merely forgotten its beauty, but I highly doubt that. But I stayed here for hours, when I first came. When I finally came out, father had sent a search party after me. I came back every chance I could, which is far less often than I would like."

"But we're here now," said Gwaine, stepping further into the clearing, leading Arthur by the hand. "I'm glad you bought me here, Arthur."

"I would never have brought anyone else," said Arthur. And it was true; there was a _bond_ between the two of them, despite how often they thought. They trusted and loved each other dearly, and Arthur knew his life would not be the same without Gwaine in it.

They hadn't been there for long at all when they heard a rustling in the trees. Both men tensed, their hands immediately going to their swords. The sound didn't sound like it was caused by an animal, though.

It sounded human.

"Who's there?" Arthur called out, all thoughts of love and friendship and beauty immediately forgotten.

It was silent for several long moments, before the rustling came again, closer this time. Arthur was suddenly very glad that Gwaine was standing beside him, the other man's presence almost a _comfort_ to the prince. When fighting together, side by side, the two men were an unstoppable force. They had never been defeated.

Of course, there was a first time for everything.

Arthur and Gwaine were almost stunned into silence, however, when they saw the figure stepping out of the bushes and trees. It was a tall, slim man, who was definitely no warrior. He was taller than even Arthur, with black hair and the most piercing blue eyes either man had ever seen. And there was this air of... _something_ about the man. Something that made him a little bit more than human.

"Arthur Pendragon," said the man. "I was wondering when you'd come back. It's been a while."

"How do you know my name?" Arthur asked cautiously.

"Besides the fact that you're the Crown Prince of Camelot? I've lived here far, _far_ longer than you've even known about this place, fair prince."

Arthur gripped the sword even tighter. "I am far from _fair_ ," he nearly growled.

"Oh, that's where you're wrong," the man laughed, and Arthur and Gwaine felt a strange tingling in their bodies. The man's voice was melodic, almost...

"You have magic," Arthur realised, but he didn't say the word with as much venom as he once did. If there was one thing he'd learnt as he grew older, it was that magic wasn't as evil as his father made it out to be.

"I do," the man said, nodding. "And already you have shown me you are a better man than your father, Arthur Pendragon. I'm glad. I always hoped you would be."

Arthur couldn't help but feel _good_ at the man's words. He looked over at Gwaine, to find that his friend couldn't take his eyes off of the strange man in front of them.

Arthur was acutely aware of the strange man watching him as he reached for Gwaine, his fingers encircling the knight's wrist. "It has been a long time, since I have seen a love as true as yours," the man said. Arthur and Gwaine started to protest, but the man held up a hand to silence him. "You love each other dearly, whatever type of love that may be. And I can _see_ that love, as plain as anything. It's just one of many things my magic has gifted me. Or cursed me with, I haven't quite decided which."

"What else has your magic given you?" Gwaine asked, unable to hold back his curiosity. He was enraptured by the man, just as Arthur was. Something about him just drew Gwaine in.

The man sighed, flopping down onto the ground. "You're not going to want to hear this one," he said.

"Try us," Arthur said, trying to sound authoritative and angry but really sounding just as curious as Gwaine was.

The man laughed again, and Arthur and Gwaine felt that same strange feeling in their bodies. The man's laughter was the most glorious sound Arthur and Gwaine had ever heard.

"You're a lot more curious than I ever imagined, young Pendragon," said the man. "Your friend here, I imagined that from, not you." The man toyed with the edge of his tunic, almost as if he wanted to take it off. " I'm... my kind are very few and far between. I don't want to be part of the reason they die out." He looked up at Arthur at Gwaine, and they felt that same tingling feeling, but this time in their groins.

Arthur, breathing heavily, struggling to control himself, realised before Gwaine did. "You... what are you doing to us?"

"I'm not doing anything," said the man. "Really. It just... _happens_ to certain people. I have no control of it, and I _wish_ it didn't have to happen, but it does. I'd rather not die."

"You need to have sex to survive?" Arthur realised.

"Something like that."

Arthur was the first one to move towards the man kneeling before him and lifting the man's shirt up over his head. Part of him didn't know why he was doing this. But the other part didn't want the man to die. Having come to this clearing so many times, Arthur felt a connection to it, and therefore to the man he was about to have sex with. They may have never met before now, but somehow Arthur felt like he’d known the man since the day he first set foot in the clearing.

"I don't want you to die," Arthur admitted, splaying his fingers across the man's bare chest. He felt strange to the touch, almost... on fire.

Arthur's hands moved lower and lower until they were inside the man's trousers, easing them down. He could feel Gwaine hovering behind him, and somehow felt relieved when his friend joined him on the ground. The man sighed contentedly, rolling over onto his back for them. “Please,” he whispered, almost desperately. “I _need_ this.”

Arthur and Gwaine didn’t need telling twice. They were filled with a hunger and a _fire_ to have their way with this stranger, one that would normally scare them but now just drove them on. Undressing themselves, Gwaine held the man down, creating pressure, enough to make the man squirm and gasp and move into Gwaine’s hands, wanting _more_.

Arthur was only too happy to oblige. He spread the man’s legs wide, tickling, and let out a surprise noise when he found wetness leaking onto the man’s thighs. “How…?” he breathed.

“I think you’ve figured out by now that I’m not entirely human,” the man said. “Is it so surprising that my body prepares it- _god_!” The man was cut off when Arthur pressed a finger against his puckered hole, teasing and exploring. He bucked up, seeking more. Arthur and Gwaine could tell that the man had not had sex in a very, very long time, if ever.

“You don’t have to go gentle with me, you know,” the man said. “My body can take this.”

It seemed that that was just what Arthur and Gwaine were waiting for. Gwaine’s lips were on the stranger’s, rough and hard and _wanting_ , and Arthur pushed himself in right to the hilt. He moved, slowly at first, setting a rhythm, before the man writhing and moaning and bucking up into him drove him faster. Gwaine was lost in a haze of lust, kissing and touching everywhere he could reach, and Arthur just hungered for _more_.

Perhaps unusually, Arthur came before the man he was fucking, emptying his load inside of him, some of the sticky fluid leaking out onto his thighs. But the man wasn’t done. As Arthur pulled out of him he whimpered, tensing his muscles, trying to find _more_. “I need- I need _more_ …” he groaned.

“Allow me,” Gwaine said with a grin as Arthur moved away, and Gwaine straddled the man’s legs, pushing himself inside. Gwaine was nowhere near as cautious as Arthur at first, knowing the man could take it, fucking into him almost recklessly.

This time, the man came as Gwaine did, gasping and moaning and thrashing about, before stilling on the ground. Gwaine and Arthur sat back, staring, unable to believe what they had just done. Had they really just had sex with the same man, a man that they’d never met, in _front_ of each other?

The man got to his feet, pulling his clothes back on. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “I am grateful for this, more than you could ever know. My name’s Merlin, by the way. I thought you should know that.” As Merlin disappeared into _thin air_ , golden strands of light surrounded him, and Arthur and Gwaine finally saw Merlin’s eyes flash gold and his pointed ears.

A strange feeling filled Arthur and Gwaine. “What… what just happened?” Arthur asked.

“I don’t know,” Gwaine admitted. “But do you want to go home? Your father is going to expect us back, soon. And I… I feel tired. Like I really need to _rest_.”

“Me too,” Arthur realised. “Let’s go home.”

***

It was years later when Arthur finally ascended the throne, being crowned King of Camelot after the death of his father, legalising magic as soon as he was able to. That day in the clearing was never forgotten by Gwaine and Arthur. They never spoke of it, and never wanted to, but it was _always_ in the back of their minds. They did return to the clearing together several times, but Merlin never reappeared. Often, they wondered what had happened to him.

Arthur sat on a chair in his chambers, in front of the fire with Gwaine sitting in front of him, playing with his first knight’s hair. Arthur had wondered what it would be like to have sex with Gwaine rather than watching him, had the thought many times, and he knew that Gwaine had too. It had never happened, not yet, but something in Arthur told him it would happen one way.

There was a knock at the door to Arthur’s chambers, and both men froze. “I thought you told everyone you didn’t want to be disturbed tonight,” Gwaine said. While people knew that Arthur and Gwaine were close, they didn’t know _how_ close, and they held no desire for anyone to find out.

“I did,” said Arthur. They were both silent and still, hoping their visitor would leave, but the knock came again. “We should see who it is, at least. It might be important.”

Both men rose to their feet, and Arthur opened the door just a crack. They were surprised to say the least when they saw a small boy standing there. His hair was exactly the same shade of brown as Gwaine’s and he had the same smile, his face was so like Arthur’s it was uncanny, and his eyes… they were a piercing blue that Arthur and Gwaine had only ever seen once before in their lives.

In the clearing all those years ago.

The child spoke first. “King Arthur Pendragon? Sir Gwaine?” he asked, almost cautiously.

“Yes,” said Arthur. “Who are you?”

“My name is Mordred,” said the child. “Merlin sent me.” _Merlin_. Arthur and Gwaine would never forget that name. He fixed his eyes on the two men before him, and they could _see_ Merlin in Mordred’s eyes. “I’m your son.”


End file.
